Three Things to Watch from the Jets in Week 14
It is the toughest task of the season for the New York Jets, who face the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.
The Jets, who have won four of their last five games, now have a measuring stick game. The Ravens are 11-2 and arguably are the best team in the NFL right now. Expectations are certainly low for the Jets (5-8) coming into this game, but showing up and playing tough might send the message to the league that the Jets aren’t far away from being playoff contenders.
'Three Things to Watch from the Jets in Week 14':
On a Roll – The Ravens, if they aren’t the best team in the league right now, are certainly the hottest. They have won nine straight games, their last loss in Week 4 to the Cleveland Browns.
Let that one sink in for a minute. Bad losses happen to nearly every team in the NFL. Now suddenly, the Jets loss two weeks ago at the Cincinnati Bengals doesn’t sting quite so much. The Browns aren’t a bad team, but it is hard to think that the Ravens lost to them in Week 4.
But back to the topic, the Ravens are on fire and they are beating up some good teams. Their last four wins came against teams that then had winning records: Week 11 a 41-7 win over the Houston Texans (then 6-4 after the game), Week 12 a 45-6 win at the Los Angeles Rams (then 6-5 after the game), Week 13 a 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers (then 10-2 after the game) and last week a 24-17 win at the Buffalo Bills (then 9-4 after the game). All four of those opponents could and should be in the playoffs.
The Jets, at 5-8, could be a trap game for the Ravens. Over the next two weeks, they have rivalry games (and divisional) games at the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Might be easy to overlook this Jets team as the season winds down and playing on a shortened week.
Rush This – Lamar Jackson is getting all the attention for the Ravens and rightly so, the quarterback has been dominant this year with his arm and his legs. The team’s leading rusher with 1,017 yards, he adds a whole unique dynamic to the offense that is impossible for any team to prep for.
But when Jackson isn’t running the ball, the top-ranked Ravens rushing offense is still dangerous.
Mark Ingram has 887 rushing yards and is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. On pace for a 1,000 yard rushing season, he leads the team with nine rushing touchdowns. He has been effective when the Ravens can get him out wide and into space.
Don’t Forget the Defense – The Jets might be in for a long night trying to move the ball. While the offense has been markedly improved in recent weeks, this Ravens defense is good.
Sixth in the NFL in total defense, the Ravens are also fifth in points allowed (18.2 points per game). They are also incredibly disciplined, conceding the second fewest penalty yards as a defense in the league (592 penalty yards this season, behind only the New Orleans Saints).
The Jets will need to be flawless and limit turnovers if they want to make this a game.
